Portable Disposable Hand Washing Facility

ABSTRACT

A portable washing facility for dispensation of soap, towels, and cleaning fluid for the washing of hands. The portable washing facility includes a liquid dispenser disposed within a housing. The liquid dispenser has a valve for regulating the flow of liquid from said liquid dispenser. The valve is adapted to be received by and to protrude through the housing. A soap dispenser and a towel dispenser are also carried by the housing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/863,838, filed Nov. 1, 2006.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a device for hand washing. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to a portable device fordispensing cleaning agents for washing, particularly for hand washing.

2. Description of the Related Art

It is well accepted that disease-causing pathogens are often spreadthrough contact with the hands. As such, frequent hand washing isaccepted as an effective and sensible means to improve and protect thegeneral public health, as well as the health of the individual. Whenparticipating in various activities, such as camping, picnicking,parties, sports events and other outdoor activities, the need and/ordesire often arises to wash one's hands. However, such activities oftentake place in areas where hand washing facilities are unavailable, suchas remote areas.

Several prior art devices exist which attempt to provide a free-standingsink for washing. For example, United States Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2003/0019031, filed by Mosis, discloses a sink mountedon a rolling cabinet. The rolling cabinet contains a fresh water tankand a pump for passing water into the sink and transferring water fromthe sink to a used water tank. U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,063 discloses a basinmovably mounted within a housing. The basin is movable from within thehousing to an extended position outside the housing, and a flexiblespigot serves to direct fluid from a water tank into the basin. Thebasin includes a drain for directing used water to a storage tankdisposed within the housing.

Devices existing in the prior art for providing a self-contained handwashing facility often include a basin or sink, a faucet, and a tank tostore both fresh water and used water. Suitable plumbing is oftenincluded in such devices to convey water to various parts of the device.Such devices are often bulky and heavy, thus making transportation ofsuch devices too impractical for true portable use, such as use outdoorsor in remote locations. Moreover, such devices are often constructedfrom relatively costly materials, such as metal, wood and/or ceramics,thereby making the devices impractical to dispose of conveniently.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A portable washing facility is disclosed. The portable washing facilityincludes a housing having a plurality of walls defining a volume. Aliquid dispenser is carried by the housing. The liquid dispenserincludes a vessel disposed within the volume. The liquid dispenserfurther includes a valve secured to the vessel. The valve is configuredto regulate liquid flow to and from the vessel. The valve is adapted tobe selectively extendable through the housing. The portable washingfacility further includes a soap dispenser and a towel dispenser. Thesoap dispenser and the towel dispenser are each carried by the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned features of the invention will become more clearlyunderstood from the following detailed description of the invention readtogether with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of one embodiment of a portable disposablehand washing facility constructed in accordance with several features ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the portable disposable hand washingfacility of FIG. 1, showing the sixth and seventh perforated cutoutsopened from the fourth wall and the eighth perforated cutout removedfrom the fourth wall;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the portable disposable handwashing facility of FIG. 2, showing the pump secured within the fourthwall;

FIG. 4 is another perspective view of the portable disposable handwashing facility of FIG. 1, showing the first perforated cutout openedfrom the first wall and the second perforated cutout removed from thefirst wall; and

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the portable disposable handwashing facility of FIG. 4, showing the valve secured within the firstwall.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring initially to FIG. 1, there is depicted an exploded view of oneembodiment of a portable disposable hand washing facility of the presentinvention. The portable disposable hand washing facility, or facility,is identified as 10 herein and in the accompanying figures. As will bediscussed in further detail below, the facility 10 includes generally aliquid dispenser 14, a soap dispenser 22, and a towel dispenser 18. Ahousing 12 is provided for holding the various components of thefacility 10. The housing 12 is generally adapted to define variousopenings for allowing access to the various components of the facility10.

The liquid dispenser 14 includes a substantially flexible vessel 42formed from a flexible membrane, such as thermoplastic, fabric, leather,polyester film, or other such material. In a preferred embodiment, thevessel 42 is formed from MYLAR® polyester film. The vessel 42 defines aninterior liquid retaining cavity 44 having a variable volume which isdependent upon the specific geometric configuration of the vessel 42. Inthis manner, the vessel 42 is adapted to hold a measure of cleaningliquid 92. While it is contemplated that water is suitable for use ascleaning liquid 92, it is appreciated that other substances may beutilized as cleaning liquid without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention. For example, such substances may includealcohol, saline, ammonia, mineral spirits, or other such solventliquids.

The vessel 42 defines at least one opening 46 allowing access to andfrom the interior liquid retaining cavity 44. The liquid dispenser 14further includes a valve 16 received within the opening 46 so as tosubstantially fill the opening 46, thereby enclosing the interior liquidretaining cavity 44. The valve 16 is selectively openable and closeablesuch as to allow selective filling and draining of cleaning liquid fromthe interior liquid retaining cavity 44.

The liquid dispenser 14 is carried within the housing 12. The housing 12includes a plurality of walls, identified in the figures as 24, 26, 28,30, 32, and 34, which cooperate to define a carrying space 56therebetween. (See FIG. 4.) Each of the walls 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, isformed from a substantially rigid material, such as cardboard,thermoplastic, wood, or the like. In a preferred embodiment, the walls24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, are formed from a disposable biodegradablematerial such as cardboard, wood or reinforced fabric. However, thoseskilled in the art will recognize other materials and compositions whichare suitable for forming the housing 12, and such materials may be usedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The walls 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 of the housing 12 define portions ofthe geometry of the housing 12, provide support for the housing 12, andform additional aspects of the present invention, as will further bediscussed below. In the illustrated embodiment, a first wall 24 of thehousing 12 defines a first flap 62 and a first cutout 64. The first flap62 is adapted to separate at least partially from the first wall 24along perforations 58, such as by folding the flap 62 away from thefirst wall 24, in order to provide access to the interior of the housing12. As is discussed in further detail below, the first cutout 64 isadapted to separate at least partially from the first wall 24 alongperforations 94, to define an opening in the first wall 24 of thehousing 12.

A second of the plurality of walls defines a top panel 26. The top panel26 includes second and third flaps 36, 38. The second and third flaps36, 38 are adapted to separate at least partially from the top panel 26along perforations 104, 106, such as by folding the flaps 36, 38 awayfrom the top panel 26, in order to define a handle portion 40 of the toppanel 26. The handle portion 40 provides a suitable gripping structureto allow a user to carry and thereby transport the facility 10.

Proximate a third wall 28 of the housing, a towel dispenser 18 isprovided for holding a plurality of towels 20 and allowing for selectivedispensation of at least one of the plurality of towels 20. The toweldispenser 18 includes a plurality of panels 48, 50, 52 which cooperatewith a portion of the third wall 28 of the housing 12 to define a voidspace 54 therebetween. The towel dispenser 18 is adapted to carry theplurality of towels 20 within the void space 54 and to retain suchtowels 20 for selective dispensation. The towel dispenser 18 includes atleast one opening suitable for allowing dispensation of towelstherefrom. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the third wall 28defines a fourth flap 60, which is adapted to separate at leastpartially from the third wall 28 along perforations 102. In thisembodiment, the fourth flap 60 is selectively openable and closeable byfolding the cutout 60 away from and toward the third wall 28 along foldline 114. In this manner, the fourth flap 60 allows access to towelsdisposed within the towel dispenser 18.

A fourth wall 30 of the housing 12 defines fifth and sixth flaps 84, 86,as well as a second cutout 88. The fifth and sixth flaps 84, 86, areeach adapted to separate at least partially from the fourth wall 30along perforations 96, 98, such as by folding the flaps 84, 86 away fromthe fourth wall 30 along fold lines 110, 112, in order to provide accessto the interior of the housing 12. The second cutout 88 is adapted toseparate from the fourth wall 30 along perforations 100. A soapdispenser 22 is disposed within the housing 12 proximate the fifth andsixth flaps 84, 86, and the second cutout 88. The soap dispenser 22includes a container 70 defining an interior space for carrying ameasure of fluid soap. The container 70 defines at least one opening 72for allowing soap to flow outward from the interior space of thecontainer 70. The soap dispenser 22 further includes a pump 74 securedwithin the opening 46 to regulate selective dispensation of soap fromwithin the interior space of the container 70.

A dispenser carrier 76 is secured to a fifth wall 32 of the housing 12,adjacent the fifth and sixth flaps 84, 86, and the second cutout 88 ofthe fourth wall 30. The dispenser carrier 76 includes a plurality ofmembers 78, 80, 82 which cooperate with a portion of the fourth wall 30of the housing 12 to define a void space therebetween. Referring now toFIG. 2, the fifth and sixth flaps 84, 86, of the fourth wall 30 areselectively openable and closeable by folding the flaps 84, 86 away fromand toward the fourth wall 30 along fold lines 110, 112. The secondcutout 88 is selectively removable from the fourth wall 30 so as todefine a pump opening 90. In use, upon selectively opening the fifth andsixth flaps 84, 86, the soap dispenser 22 is adapted to be removed fromwithin the housing 12 and positioned within the dispenser carrier 76,such that the dispenser carrier 76 carries the pump 74 in aconfiguration proximate the pump opening 90. As shown in FIG. 3, uponselectively removing the second cutout 88 from the fourth wall 30, thefifth and sixth flaps 84, 86 are selectively closeable so as to securethe pump 74 within the pump opening 90. In this manner, the fifth andsixth flaps 84, 86, and the second cutout 88, cooperate with thedispenser carrier 76 to allow selective access to the pump 74 throughthe fourth wall 30.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the facility 10 shownin FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 4, the liquid dispenser 14 is carriedwithin the carrying space 56 such that the valve 16 is disposedproximate the first flap 62 and the first cutout 64. In the illustratedembodiment, the first flap 62 is selectively openable and closeable byfolding the cutout away from and toward the first wall 24 along foldline 108. The first cutout 64 is selectively removable from the firstwall 24 so as to define a valve opening 66 in the first wall 24. Asshown in FIG. 5, the valve 16 includes a collar 68 which is adapted tobe received within the valve opening 66. In use, upon selectivelyopening the first flap 62 and removing the first cutout 64, the valve 16is adapted to be extended from within the housing 12 and secured throughthe valve opening 66 by selectively closing the first flap 62, therebypositioning a portion of the collar 68 within the valve opening 66. Inthis manner, the first flap 62 and the first cutout 64 allow selectiveaccess to the valve 16 through the first wall 24.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exact configurationbetween the various flaps 36, 38, 60, 62, 84, 86, and cutouts 64, 88,and the plurality of walls 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 of the housing 12 mayvary without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention. To this extent, in another embodiment, each of the variousflaps 36, 38, 60, 62, 84, 86, and cutouts 64, 88 is defined by a singlewall of the housing 12. In this embodiment, the towel dispenser 18 andthe soap dispenser 22 are each disposed proximate the single wall of thehousing 12, such as to allow access through respective perforatedcutouts. Likewise, the liquid dispenser 14 is carried within thecarrying space 56 such that the valve 16 is disposed proximate thesingle wall of the housing 12.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent to one of ordinaryskill in the art that a portable disposable hand washing facility 10 isdisclosed. The portable disposable hand washing facility 10 provides aportable unit adapted to carry soap, towels, and cleaning liquid.Furthermore, the facility 10 allows for the selective dispensation ofeach of the soap, towels, and cleaning liquid so as to allow a user toengage in healthy hand washing practices. In several embodiments, thehousing 12 of the facility is fabricated from a substantiallybiodegradable material, which encourages disposal of the facility 10upon emptying the various soap, towel, and cleaning liquid dispensers.

While the present invention has been illustrated by description ofseveral embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments have beendescribed in detail, it is not the intention of the applicant torestrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to suchdetail. Additional modifications will readily appear to those skilled inthe art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limitedto the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, andillustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures maybe made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope ofapplicants general inventive concept.

1. A portable washing facility comprising: a housing having a pluralityof walls defining a volume; a liquid dispenser carried by said housing,said liquid dispenser including a vessel disposed within said volume anda valve secured to said vessel and configured to regulate liquid flow toand from said vessel, said valve being adapted to be selectivelyextendable through said housing; a soap dispenser carried by saidhousing; and a towel dispenser carried by said housing.
 2. The portablewashing facility of claim 1 wherein said vessel is formed from aflexible membrane.
 3. The portable washing facility of claim 1 whereinsaid vessel is formed from a polyester film.
 4. The portable washingfacility of claim 1, at least one of said plurality of walls defining afirst cutout, said first cutout being at least partially separable fromsaid at least one wall to define a first opening, said valve beingselectively securable within said first opening.
 5. The portable washingfacility of claim 4, said valve further including a collar adapted to beselectively securable to said at least one wall proximate said firstopening.
 6. The portable washing facility of claim 1, said toweldispenser including a plurality of panels cooperating with at least oneof said plurality of walls to define a space for holding a plurality oftowels, said towel dispenser defining a towel opening for selectivedispensation of at least one of said plurality of towels from withinsaid space.
 7. The portable washing facility of claim 1, said housingdefining a handle flap, said handle flap being at least partiallyseparable from said housing to define a handle.
 8. The portable washingfacility of claim 1, said soap dispenser having: a container forcarrying a measure of fluid soap, said container being disposed withinsaid volume; and a pump connected to said container for regulatingselective dispensation of soap from within said container.
 9. Theportable washing facility of claim 8, at least one of said plurality ofwalls defining a second cutout, said second cutout being at leastpartially separable from said at least one wall to define a secondopening, said pump being selectively securable within said secondopening.
 10. The portable washing facility of claim 9, at least oneother of said plurality of walls defining a dispenser carrier adapted toreceive said container and hold said container within said volumeproximate said second opening.
 11. A portable washing facilitycomprising: a housing having at least a first wall, a second wall, athird wall, a fourth wall, and a fifth wall, said housing defining avolume; a liquid dispenser carried by said housing, said liquiddispenser having a vessel holding a measure of cleaning liquid, saidvessel being disposed within said volume, said liquid dispenser furtherhaving a valve configured to selectively dispense at least a portion ofsaid measure of cleaning liquid, said valve being adapted to beselectively extendable through said housing; a soap dispenser carriedwithin said volume, said soap dispenser carrying a measure of fluidsoap, said soap dispenser being configured to selectively dispense atleast a portion of said measure of fluid soap; and a towel dispensercarried within said volume, said towel dispenser carrying a plurality oftowels, said towel dispenser being configured to selectively dispense atleast one of said plurality of towels.
 12. The portable washing facilityof claim 11 wherein said vessel is formed from a flexible membrane. 13.The portable washing facility of claim 11 wherein said vessel is formedfrom polyester film.
 14. The portable washing facility of claim 11, saidfirst wall defining a first cutout, said first cutout being at leastpartially separable from said first wall to define a first opening, saidvalve being selectively securable within said first opening.
 15. Theportable washing facility of claim 14, said valve further including acollar adapted to be selectively securable to said first wall proximatesaid first opening.
 16. The portable washing facility of claim 11, saidtowel dispenser including a plurality of panels cooperating with saidsecond wall to define a space for holding a plurality of towels, saidtowel dispenser defining a towel opening for selective dispensation ofat least one of said plurality of towels from within said space.
 17. Theportable washing facility of claim 11, said third wall defining a handleflap, said handle flap being at least partially separable from saidhousing to define a handle.
 18. The portable washing facility of claim11, said soap dispenser having: a container disposed within said volumeand carrying said measure of fluid soap; and a pump connected to saidcontainer, said pump being configured to selectively dispense at least aportion of said measure of fluid soap.
 19. The portable washing facilityof claim 18, at least one of said first, second, fourth, and fifth wallsdefining a second cutout, said second cutout being at least partiallyseparable from said housing to define a second opening, said pump beingselectively securable within said second opening.
 20. The portablewashing facility of claim 19, at least one of said first, second,fourth, and fifth walls defining a dispenser carrier adapted to receivesaid container and hold said container within said volume proximate saidsecond opening.